There is a growing need, in the field of computer graphics, to render graphics on multiple displays concurrently without introducing perspective distortion. Perspective distortion is a well-known problem in the field of computer graphics, where portions of an image near the edges of the image may appear stretched or blurred. The problem is especially relevant to the fields of computer gaming and simulated 3D environments.
For traditional, single display environments, rendering is free of perspective distortion from a single point of view. When rendering to wider field of view, for example, when multiple monitors are arranged horizontally (e.g., side-by-side), perception of perspective distortion is greatly amplified. In this case, the images displayed on the peripheral monitors are significantly distorted, potentially creating an unsatisfying and disorienting user experience. The image distortion is typically most severe toward the outside edges of the display. Furthermore, the side monitors bring diminishingly wider FOV due to the geometry of the scene (see FIG. 8).
Some existing solutions to perspective distortion when rendering images for multiple displays involve using a discreet graphics processing unit (GPU) for each display. However, this solution greatly increases end-user hardware costs, and ultimately relies on software developers to support multiple GPUs operating concurrently.
Furthermore, to enhance the user experience and sense of immersion when using multiple displays, many users have begun tilting the outer displays of a multiple display system inward toward the user, thereby creating a series of displays that slightly curves or wraps around the user, similar to the windows of an airplane cockpit. However, tilting the displays in this way further exacerbates the problem of perspective distortion because the user's perspective relative to the tilted display has changed compared to the traditional configuration, and the traditional rendering system is unable to correct the rendered images to accommodate the new perspective of the user relative to the peripheral displays.
What is needed is a technique for efficiently rendering images on multiple tilted displays concurrently that mitigates perspective distortion of multiple displays.